We all know Titanic was a work of fiction, but fiction can be a messy thing when you’re drawing on actual people for your characters. It’s no surprise that J. Bruce Ismay’s daughter, son, and grandson have openly disputed his portrayal in the film and are eager to set the record straight.
So what’s the truth about Ismay’s conduct that fateful night? For one, he had no power over the ship’s crew because he wasn’t aboard the ship in any official capacity; he was there as “an ordinary passenger.” According to eyewitnesses and an official investigation, Ismay spent “at least an hour” helping load passengers into lifeboats, many of whom later testified that he had indeed assisted them. Then, after determining there were no more women or children present, he made a spur-of-the-moment decision to step into a lifeboat himself. In so doing, he did not step in front of another passenger or steal a seat to save himself — in fact, many boats departed before reaching full capacity.
Ismay did, however, have a say in how many lifeboats the ship should carry. The Titanic ended up setting sail with only 20 lifeboats because the 64 needed to comfortably carry all the passengers and crew would make the ship look “too cluttered.”
Following the tragedy, J. Bruce Ismay resigned from the White Star Line and lived out the rest of his life away from the public eye. He died on October 18, 1937.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewziegler/titanic-facts
